I've been debating selling my A6000 and A7R and purchasing the A7c, but I'll get squat for those two cameras and they deliver the goods and are very compact...so I'll just continue with those two as my backup or very light options.
tuomkok wrote:
Yes it looks good The flip side is that inside A7c has recycled technology that is actually overdue to be replaced by the next generation. Somewhere in Japan A7m4 is waiting to be launched, and when that happens A7c is officially as "old" camera as A7m3.
How I wish that A7c would have been something special! Maybe recycling A9 classic tech to it? Or A7r3 tech. Now its faith is to become the A6300 of Sony full frame. Kind of lame in terms of camera hype
But what exactly would this new tech be? Whatever new tech an A74 would get, the A7S III probably would have gotten.
Maybe the new tech is just the real time tracking that the A7S III and A7C have gotten.
teddoman wrote:
But what exactly would this new tech be? Whatever new tech an A74 would get, the A7S III probably would have gotten.
Maybe the new tech is just the real time tracking that the A7S III and A7C have gotten.
The new processor in the a7Siii, which powers the new OS that allows it to have the new menu system with more touch functionality (even if it's not the same processor, something of the same generation, that makes it "easier" to "port" the software). A new sensor 24Mpix+ sensor. Maybe an improved viewfinder. And obviously everything the a7C got. I don't think any of that would be unexpected in a 2021 a7iv.
Depending on how much they improve, the a7C may make way for a(nother) price increase in the a7iv line (the a7 and a7ii launched for $1700, the a7iii for $2000). Then again, maybe the a7C takes the $1700 slot, and the a7iv stays at $2000. But people clamouring for "more!" should take notice that there is a gap $1500 gap between the launch price of the a7iii ($2000) and a7Riv ($3500).
tuomkok wrote:
Yes it looks good The flip side is that inside A7c has recycled technology that is actually overdue to be replaced by the next generation. Somewhere in Japan A7m4 is waiting to be launched, and when that happens A7c is officially as "old" camera as A7m3.
How I wish that A7c would have been something special! Maybe recycling A9 classic tech to it? Or A7r3 tech. Now its faith is to become the A6300 of Sony full frame. Kind of lame in terms of camera hype
Hehe the size is what makes this camera special. There is more photography than the specs in your camera. I have my a7riv, a7rIII, and big ole lenses for wedding and posed portraiture. But outside of paid work, photography is a lifestyle for me. Anything that makes integrating photography into to my day to day life easier has a tremendous amount of value, because it means I'm shooting more. That's where I find enjoyment in photography, and the a7c is legit the most enjoyable camera I've owned since the original a7r and rx1rii.
rps_23 wrote:
My 1st impressions are very positive.
(...)
In comparison, the Sigma 45C feels completely neutral. The weather has been crap, so haven't really put it through the paces yet. So far, so good though.
How's AF with the Sigma? It's my only AF lens and I'm really curious if I can expect improvements compared to the a7ii.
joelRichards wrote:
...I dunno. I picked up a used RX1R2 at Adorama for ~$1500. Better AF, yes, but sadly I think the RX1 has better ergo! I can't believe this body has LESS custom function buttons, as in basically none.
I’m not buying that reasoning. A side by side of the A7c and RX1Rii shows the buttons and dials are nearly identical.
The A7c record button becomes custom function button, need to record video? Mode the dial to video mode and hit it. Not to mention the A7c has far better AF, intervalometer for time lapse, larger battery for 4-5x more shots, headphone jack, 10fps vs 5, usb 3 for tethered shooting, and aperture dial depending on what lens you use.
So here is the skinny A7C with 20mm and Godox Round head flash . Not sure of number but the newest one they have on camera. Pay attention to the shadow. HSS is on in the first shot as you can see it is filling in the shadows. That means it is working. Second shot Flash is off
I bought it and sent it back; needed to evaluate myself in hand and it's no go. Somewhere - I can't recall which thread -
Guy remarked that if you absolutely rely on the evf to shoot - my words not his which I'm approximating - don't buy.
I wholeheartedly agree. If I was willing/able to shoot rear lcd, I'd keep it. It's nice, small, lite and looks cool but the evf - for me - is useless, hurt my eyes and head and back it went faster than a speeding bullet!
By the way, I use lower res evf's all the time like the incredibly overpriced one Leica sells for the M10M cause I
can't use the rangefinder to shoot and it's fine for what it is. However, the 7c is a no-go if you are
visually compromised in any way.
Just got mine yesterday, with the kit lens and the Sony 35/1.8.
I've always liked the rangefinder form factor - spent a lot of time with the Panasonic GX7/GX8/GX85 and Fuji X-E3/X100F/X100V over the past few years. I specifically picked up the A7C to replace my X100V. Probably sounds like an odd transition to some, but it makes sense for me given that I'm already a Sony user. The X100V is amazing, but it is too big for a pocket camera for me. It was small enough though to serve as a "real" camera that I could fit in a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 5 in my Osprey laptop bag on business travel, rather than having to carry a separate camera bag to bring whatever my full size camera happened to be at the time. The A7C, 28-60, and Sony 35/1.8 all fit in a Mirrorless Mover 10, which is still manageable for the same purpose my X100V fulfilled....it's more versatile though.
A few thoughts on this kit, not necessarily all about the A7C directly:
-I was concerned about the EVF given most of the comments I've read, that said, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I've managed to use the small GX7/GX85 and even the RX100 V/VI EVF previously....sure, it'd be nice if it was larger, but it's usable for me (and I'm a majority EVF shooter).
-Front dial and joystick would have been nice; and I'm probably in the minority that would have preferred a tilting screen rather than the fully articulating screen.
-24mm instead of 28mm at the wide end of the kit lens would have been nice as well....the size is killer though and it doesn't feel as cheap as some other retracting kit lenses I've handled in the past. The 20/1.8 isn't big and can probably be squeezed in my backpack if necessary.
-I'm impressed with the 35 so far....I was one that really wanted that lens for a long time before it existed, and had a lukewarm reaction like many did last year when it was released. I'd still have preferred a G build with the aperture ring, but it's sharp, focuses very fast, quiet, and close, and the bokeh seems good enough. I do have a Sigma 35/2 on order but may end up cancelling it.
-Tracking AF seems pretty impressive so far, and does obviate the need for the joystick for the most part. For those times where I'm using flexible spot, I've got the center button set to select focus area, which basically means two taps on the center button allows the wheel to sub in for the joystick. I think it's a huge miss that touchpad AF isn't a thing here from what I can tell (as it is on the Panasonics I mentioned earlier).
-One strong advantage for me over the Fuji as my "small" camera is that on more dedicated outings, it's a more complementary pairing to the rest of my kit (A7RIV, 24-105, 20/1.8, 85/1.8) given the battery commonality and of course lens commonality.
Nothing is perfect, but despite the common criticisms of this camera including my own in this post, it's a compelling package and I think I'm going to enjoy using it.